Petron wins gold environmental award

Published: April 24, 2013 /http://www.mb.com.ph/article.php?aid=9002&sid=2&subid=84#.UXdel0o1W_I

Petron Corporation has won the Gold Award for Best Environmental Excellence during the 5th Global CSR Awards organized by Singapore-based The Pinnacle Group International in Davao City.

The country’s leading oil company earned the top award “for integrating environmental performance into the company’s sustainable development strategy and delivering proven business benefits.”

Petron was cited for its environmental performance in key areas namely: energy efficiency, carbon footprint reduction, and waste management across its supply chain, which includes the 180,000 barrel-per-day Bataan Refinery, over 30 depots and terminals, and more than 2,000 service stations nationwide.

The oil giant’s sustainability efforts resulted to a reduction of 131,553 tons of Greenhouse Gas emissions and nearly 750,000 cubic meters in water consumption for 2011 to 2012, translating to significant cost savings for the company.

“Integrating sustainability in our operations makes good business sense since not only are we getting better business results, we are also doing our share in preserving the environment for future generations,” Petron chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said.

He added that “receiving this award for the second time drives us to take sustainability to the next level.”

Petron is the first Philippine company to have its 2010 Sustainability Report verified by an independent External Review Committee and subjected to a Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) check in Amsterdam. (JAL)

Philippines cited for ‘Green Accounting’

By Ellalyn B. De Vera/Published: April 21, 2013 /http://www.mb.com.ph/article.php?aid=8522&sid=1&subid=2#.UXMXB0r6XyA

Manila, Philippines --- The Philippines has been chosen by the World Bank as one of the pilot countries and the only country in Asia that will be implementing the “green accounting” of its natural resources.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje announced the World Bank initiative after he attended a high-level ministerial meeting on natural capital accounting (NCA) or “green accounting,” organized by the international financial institution in Washington, D.C. last April 18.

Together with Botswana, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Madagascar, the Philippines will serve as an implementing partner for the Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) project of the World Bank, Paje said.

WAVES is a global partnership that aims to promote sustainable development by ensuring that the national accounts used to measure and plan for economic growth include the value of natural resources.

Phl launches new code of practice to curb carbon footprint

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/04/19/932761/phl-launches-new-code-practice-curb-carbon-footprint
MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippine government launched today a new code of good practice for the refrigeration and airconditioning industry after the phase-out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and some other ozone-depleting substances (ODS).
The new Code of Practice (COP) for the refrigeration and air conditioning sector revises the original code crafted in 2002 to incorporate practices and technologies of the present time and help save the environment, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.
According to DENR's Environment Management Bureau (EMB) Director Juan Miguel Cuna, the COP was revised to guide the affected sector on updated procedures and complement shifting technologies.
"It is time to upgrade procedures on refrigeration and air conditioning. With advancement in technology comes the need to introduce new practices that would enable us not only to protect but also to prevent damage to the environment," he stressed.
He said a core group of technical experts had been working on the revisions since mid-2012.
The revised COP includes topics on conversion of refrigerants and use of alternatives to CFCs and other ODS, as well as on handling, storage, recovery, recycling, collection, transport and disposal of refrigerants.
Meanwhile, Cuna advised the public to patronize products which have been certified CFC-free, as well as service shops, technicians, dealers and the like that are duly accredited by concerned agencies.
The Philippines has been implementing the total phase-out of ODS in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, including industrial, mobile and residential types, as part of its commitment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
As of 2010, the country has already completely phased out production and consumption of seven out of eight ODS, including CFCs which are widely used as refrigerants. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons or HCFCs, the last ODS in the list, will be phased out gradually starting this year and will be completely banned by 2040.
This Code of Practice for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning 
was made possibleusing funding from the Multilateral Fund (MLF) through the World Bank (WB) and theGovernment of Sweden, granted to the Philippine Government through the Departmentof Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as implementing agency and Land Bankof the Philippines (LBP) as the financial intermediary.This handbook was developed to generally reduce the emission of Ozone DepletingSubstances (ODS), in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector. There are three (3)sections under the sector, namely: Domestic Refrigeration and Window Type AirConditioner, Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, TransportRefrigeration and Air Conditioning.The original document was drafted by Engr. Ariel D. Delicana, the Project ComponentCoordinator for the Code of Practice, Reclamation and Trade Communication(PCCCPRTC) of the Project Management Unit (PMU) - National CFC Phase-out Plan(NCPP) under the Philippine Ozone Desk (POD) of the Environmental ManagementBureau (EMB), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
This was then presented to the members of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for theCode of Practice for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, who are composed ofrepresentatives from concerned industry organizations and stakeholders directly orindirectly involved in the field of refrigeration and air conditioning. The finalization wasattained through a series of discussions with the group and consultations meetingsconducted with different sectors in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry.
Technicians will also use this Code as reference on good practices in handling andworking with refrigerants, including regulations and legislations concerning with thetrade. Each technician will be made to fully understand the contents of this material inline with their training on recovery, recycling and retrofitting procedures prior to theircertification from TESDA.This Code will be a living document and therefore subject to change or revision. It isexpected that those concerned sectors with areas not fully covered by this Code shall beresponsible to present additional inclusions to be included in the next revision andreproduction. Any comment or suggestion will be highly appreciated for the improvementof the contents of this Code and should be addressed to:
The Technical Working Group (TWG)
Code of Practice for Refrigeration and Air ConditioningC/o National CFC Phaseout Plan- Project Management Unit (NCPP-PMU)Philippine Ozone Desk-Environmental Management Bureau (POD-EMB)Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)DENR Compound, Visayas Avenue, Quezon City

MMDA says Ban on plastic reduces garbage in Metro Manila

April 20, 2013/http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/metro-section/item/13096-mmda-ban-on-plastic-reduces-garbage-in-metro-manila

A five percent reduction in the volume of wastes disposal of Metro Manila’s 9,000 metric tons of garbage a day over the past two years have been recprded by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Alex Jumagat, chief of the Solid Wastes Management Office, credited the efforts of MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino to convince the Metro Manila Council (MMC), the agency’s policy-making body, to regulate the use of plastic bags and to promote segregation of wastes at source or recycling to the reduction of wastes disposal at three different dumps hosting the metro’s trash in Tanza, Navotas; Payatas, Quezon City and Rodriguez, Rizal.

Jumagat said that with this decrease the three garbage dumps will have a longer span to take in the metro’s garbage for several years.

The anti-littering drive of MMDA as approved by the MMC’s metro mayors was also a factor why the volume of trash being disposed at the dumps has gone down, he said.

He lauded Quezon City, Makati City, Muntinlupa City and Mandaluyong City to cut back on their use of plastic bags.

According to Umagat, the increase in the volume of trash is high in January or after the holiday season and during typhoons, and the peak months of typhoons from August to October.

“We can feel the impact of the increased volume of garbage because of the Christmas festive season in January,” he said adding that the volume of trash is lower in July. Pat C. Santos

Construction market expects boost from ‘green buildings’

January 12, 2011/ http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=24343

BANGALORE -- After a two-year slump in the construction market, US building materials firms hope a trend to so-called green -- or energy efficient -- building will steer them back to growth.

The US market for new, non-residential ‘green buildings’ -- such as offices and factories -- is forecast to more than double to as much as $145 billion in five years, according to industry researcher McGraw-Hill Construction.

Building materials firms are using ecological, non-hazardous and recyclable methods to make more affordable wood, plastic and glass composites, cement and roofing materials to improve energy efficiency.

Trex Co., Inc., for example, claims to recycle 1.5 billion grocery bags a year to manufacture its building products, and Apogee Enterprises, Inc.

says its spectrally-selective coated glass can reduce lighting and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning energy consumption by more than a quarter.

Other companies make electrical controls and solar systems.

“Controls make buildings smarter ... turning systems off when no one is in the room. These are the areas where investments are going,” said Brian Kremer at Roth Capital.

Building products makers looking to capitalize on the green drive include Trex, Apogee Enterprises and Beacon Roofing. Contractors such as URS Corp., Aecom and Tutor Perini are also positioned to gain from the trend.

Johnson Controls, Cree -- which was picked by retail giant Wal-Mart to supply light emitting diode (LED) lighting in more than 600 of its stores, motor makers Baldor Electric and AO Smith, Lime Energy and distributor Wesco International have more exposure to green building.

Building owners, themselves going through a lean patch, are investing more in green projects to exploit lower costs and government incentives such as tax credits.

Green building legislation and initiatives have been adopted at a dozen federal agencies and in 33 states.

The push for more energy-efficient buildings is also helping as a marketing tool.

“If they can add value, they can resell at a higher price or command better rent,” said Michele Russo of McGraw-Hill Construction Research & Analytics.

The US Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit organization, reckons sale prices for energy-efficient buildings are as much as 10% higher per square foot than conventional buildings.

Green premium

For design firms, revenue from green projects rose 17% to $3.3 billion in 2009, though their overall revenue fell 12%. For contractors, green project revenue rose 11%, but total revenue dropped 14%.

“The companies developing green building products are trying to price their products at a premium,” Piper Jaffray analyst Thomas Hayes said.

Green building gained momentum during the recession when energy-efficient office buildings helped cash-strapped companies trim their costs and bolster cashflow.

“Energy efficiency measures typically had the shortest payback period.

They would be the lowest hanging fruit,” said Mr. Kremer at Roth Capital.

US homebuilders, who used to flaunt their environmental credentials, are now basing their promotions more on energy efficiency.

Meritage Homes is building entire energy-efficient communities, while Toll Brothers gives buyers in The Preserve in Vista Del Verde, southeast of Los Angeles, an option to rent solar panels.

Retrofit for business

Investment in retrofit and renovation for existing buildings will add to the projected growth in green building.

“As the credit market loosens, retrofits are likely to be the top agenda item for real estate owners ... as they seek ways to recapture equity value lost in the commercial real estate downturn,” Canaccord Genuity analyst Eric Prouty said.

Analysts consider LED lighting products as an attractive area in green building as clients retrofit to beat rising utility costs.

“Major industrial buildings are being retrofitted; we’re seeing major street lighting upgrades around the world,” said Dale Pfau, an analyst with Cantor Fitzgerald.

To help the green building drive, the USGBC has developed a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) standard to evaluate the quality of the green methods used.

“Certainly, when a building meets a certain level of LEED certification, they use it as a marketing tool. Companies are proud they met the gold or silver level of LEED,” Mr. Kremer said.

The Bank of America Tower was last year awarded the USGBC’s highest rating for environmental performance and sustainability, making New York City’s second-tallest building its greenest.

The city’s tallest building, the Empire State Building, is being retrofitted by Johnson Controls to cut its energy use. -- Reuters

Muntinlupa ban the use of plastic bags and styrofoams starting January 18

http://www.positivenewsmedia.com/am2/publish/Main_News_1/Muntinlupa_ban_the_use_of_plastic_bags_and_styrofoams_starting_January_18.shtml

MANILA, Jan. 17 (PNA) -- The Muntinlupa city government has reminded residents and business owners that starting Tuesday (January 18) it is implementing an ordinance strictly prohibiting the use of plastic bags and styrofoam in the city.

Mayor Aldrin San Perdo said that ordinance 10-109, which was signed January 26, 2010, will take effect on Tuesday.

San Pedro said enough time was given to businesses including malls, wet and dry markets, groceries and pharmacies to switch to environment-friendly bags.

“Plastic bags and styrofoam materials are major contributors to the clogging of waterways in Metro Manila. Through this ordinance, we want to encourage business owners and the public to protect the environment by not using such materials” he said.

San Pedro said violators of the ordinance will be fined P500 for the first offense, P1,000 for the second offense, and P2,500 plus six months’ imprisonment for the third offense.

Councilor Joselito Arevalo, the ordinance’s principal author, said the city council favors replacing plastic bags with cloth bags, paper bags and "bayong", a container made of coconut leaves.

“The city government is also encouraging people to bring their own bags when shopping or going to the market,” he said.

The ordinance covers sando bags, pouch, plastic shopping bags and plastic films, he added.

Muntinlupa took a leaf from San Francisco and Los Angeles in California, which started their campaign against plastic bags in 2007.

Mayor San Pedro said non-biodegradable plastic bags, film bags, and food containers made of Styrofoam clog creeks and other waterways, causing flooding similar to that spawned by tropical storm Ondoy, which submerged Metro Manila’s coastal cities including badly hit Marikina last September 2009.

“These materials end up in Laguna de Bay,” he said.

San Pedro said disposable food containers, cups and plates are also prohibited.

San Pedro said the ordinance aims to greatly reduce if not totally eliminate the use of plastic bags as packing materials.

The city government will conduct a massive information campaign to educate residents and business establishments on the use of alternative biodegradable packaging materials, he added.

San Pedro cited that green bags could be fashioned out of water lilies which usually come from the Laguna de Bay. He promised to put up livelihood centers where these bags could be made and distributed within the city. (PNA)
FFC/CLTC